The End is a New Beginning
by Racergirl74
Summary: The final battle is over, what will happen to the Winchesters now? I know the summary sucks, but please give the story a chance.
1. Chapter 1

_**The End is a New Beginning**_

Summary: What's to happen to the Winchester's now that the final battle is over?

Disclaimer: Not mine. Just barrowed them and twisted the story for amusement.

* * *

"_It's over."_ Dean thought to himself as he and Sam began preparing to perform the ritual that would end the threat of Crowley and the Leviathans once and for all. It had taken months for them to find the ritual, and even more to get everything needed to complete the ritual.

Right now the two brothers had barricaded themselves in the remains of Bobby's panic room; warded it to the hilt as Crowley and several legions of demons and other monsters had found their location and are preparing an attack. The sounds of Hell hounds barking demons descending fill the air.

It is an eerily mix of calm and frantic hurry to their actions as Sam and Dean perform the ritual. Mixing the ingredients to the potion and saying the Latin words of the incantation as if all of hell wasn't literally banging at their door.

As the brothers say the last words of the incantation, a bright light floods the room; as a loud screeching noise filled the air. Both brothers place their hands to their ears and close their eyes as they drop down low to the floor.

Both of them wondering if the ritual would work; or if they in for a slow, tortious death. Dean hopes that if it is to be the latter that they wouldn't have to be witness to each other's execution. And if that would be the case, Dean hopes that they would spare Sam the pain of witnessing his brother's death by killing him first. Dean knew what it was like to see his brother die, and as much as it hurt; he was willing to take that pain for himself in his own final moments.

Once the light and sound dissipates, the air is heavy with nothing but silence. Dean opens his eyes first and discovers that they are no longer in Bobby's basement. He's not sure where they are, but they are in a white room… a white room the size of Texas. A white void would be a more appropriate term for where they are; as it is impossible to discern where the walls began or how tall the room really is.

Dean's first thought is to try to find Sam; and is more than relieved to find that he is next to him.

"Sam? You ok?' Dean says as he tries to get to his feet. He quickly makes his way over to Sam, and begins checking for any injury to his little brother.

"Yeah. You?" Sam asks as he subtly checks Dean for any visible sign of injury. Taking in their surroundings, or lack thereof; Sam asks: "And where are we?"

"I'm fine." Before Dean can answer the next question, they notice a Man has appeared in the void and is slowly walking towards them.

Sam and Dean immediately get to their feet and are fully prepared to defend themselves if the man is a threat. But instead of attacking, the man smiles brightly as he speaks:

"You have done well. And I must congratulate you on your victory. As you have won the final battle. And now I am proud to give the two of you: your rewards."

Before the brothers could even comprehend the next moment, the man place two fingers to their foreheads and everything goes black.

* * *

The evil cliff-hanger. Please review and let me know what you think of this story and if I should continue.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I want to thank aweena for the review of chapter one. I do plan on continuing this story as long as I get reviews so if you want it to continue drop a line and tell me. **

* * *

Dean wakes up, wondering where he is. It doesn't feel like a hotel somehow. The bed is too soft, and the sheets feel too clean. Then Dean notices that there is somebody in bed with him. He opened his eyes and saw a really hot girl next to him. Dean doesn't remember picking up any girl for a one-night stand; but he must have gone home with some girl since he certainly didn't take her back to his motel room.

Suddenly a barrage of images hits him like glass from a broken windshield. The images flood his brain at a rate that Dean can't keep up with. They were images that he had never seen before; but somehow he was experiencing them like as if they were his memories:

**_Himself playing catch in front of his house with a girl his age. Her dark hair is in two braids underneath a New York Yankees baseball cap that is turned backwards._**

**_Himself leaning in to kiss a dark haired teenage girl as they sat on the hood of the Impala. It had been an unexpected action on both their parts, but the electricity that shot through him was undeniable._**

**_Himself getting off a bus wearing a Marine uniform, scanning the crowd for a second before a dark haired tornado nearly knocks him to the ground as she runs into his arms. He holds her for a few moments before lowering himself to his knee and reaching up to his breast pocket and pulling a black ring box out of his pocket._**

As Dean came out of the daze the images placed him in; he could remember parts of a life as well as he could his own. Only problem is that both lives seemed to be his.

Dean could suddenly remember everything about the girl that had been beside him in the bed:

Her name is Carmen. They had met when they were eight years old, when Carmen, her father, and younger sisters moved to Lawrence. Her father was a marine buddy of his father's. Carmen and Dean had quickly become inseparable as children. They were best friends (after their closest sibling, of course) and often partners in mischief. Dean had fallen for her when he was seventeen, and had proposed when he was twenty and home on leave from the Marines. She is a RN at Lawrence Memorial Hospital; in fact, she is Head Nurse over the Obstetrics/Neonatal unit. They had gotten married while he was still in the Corps.

At that thought, Dean looked down at his hands. His silver ring was the same, but the startling difference was that it is on his left hand ring finger instead of his right. Dean could suddenly remember the day that the ring had been put on his finger. And all the feelings he had when it was: excited, nervousness, and an overpowering feeling of love for the young woman that stood beside him as they exchanged vows that would bind them as husband and wife.

Shaking the distorted memories from his head, he got out of bed as quietly as he could, quickly puts on the clothes that are hanging on the closet door and leaves the room. Outside the room, Dean found himself in a hallway, dimly lit with a nightlight. A stairway leads down to his left, while there are two doors down the hall on his right. Another open door was directly across from him at the end of the hall. Moving down the hall quietly, Dean looks into each of the rooms. The first room on his right is a bathroom. The next two doors call to him like a siren.

The first one is a little boy's room. It's decorated with a race car theme. In a race car bed is a small boy about four years old. He has dark hair like the woman Dean had woken up next to. But looking at the boy closer, Dean is shocked when he can make out _his_ features in the boy's face. Like before, images flood his mind at a rate that it's almost impossible for Dean to keep up. But from what he could make out, Dean could tell that they were memories of himself and the boy together; but what was probably most unsettling about the new memories was that he is the boy's- Noah, his mind supplied, father.

Without fully realizing what he is doing, Dean strokes Noah's hair. And watches in amazement as Noah leans into the touch. Before leaving the room, Dean adjusts the blankets that are covering Noah; and before Dean has a chance to process his actions, he presses his lips to the little boy's forehead. Noah shuffles a little under the covers, and for a moment Dean is afraid Noah will wake up. But the little boy just hugs his stuffed dog that Dean just noticed, closer and goes deeper into his sleep. And Dean quietly leaves the room and heads towards the next one.

The next room is a nursery decorated in Winnie the Pooh. A small girl is sleeping in the crib. From size alone, Dean guesses her to be about 18 months old. Her downy soft hair is dark curls. She is curled up around a stuffed monkey that has obviously seen better days; but Dean could tell it's well loved. The little girl had somehow managed to put her two middle fingers in her mouth, palm facing up, as she gripped at her stuffed monkey. And Dean couldn't help the slight tug at the corners of his mouth as the little girl was just too adorable sleeping like that.

Dean gripped the railing of the crib in preparation of the new images, and after a few moments they came; although not as many as the previous times. Dean chalks that fact up to the little girl just being a baby. But Dean is able to now remember the little girl's name: Audrey. And Dean is right in his assessment of her age.

Leaving the nursery, Dean heads back to the stairway; hoping to find a clue about where he is and what exactly is going on. As Dean heads down the stairs his eyes caught sight of the walls and he slows his decent. Lining the stairwell wall are framed photos:

A wedding photo of Dean and Carmen; he is wearing a Marine dress uniform, Carmen is wearing a simple but elegant white dress. Another picture of the two of them on a boat all smiles and wind-ruffled hair; that Dean somehow knows was taken when they lived in Jacksonville, North Carolina when he was stationed at Camp Lejeune. There is another one of Dean with his arms around his obviously pregnant wife. One of Dean standing in a hospital room with a huge smile on his face, holding a baby wrapped in a blue blanket. And a picture of Carmen in a hospital bed; looking tired but happy as she held her baby boy in her arms oblivious to the camera taking her picture.

A professional photograph of them smiling while a chubby six-month old boy sat in Dean's lap, then one of the same little baby boy sitting in a high chair wearing a party hat with the number one on it. There's a photo of newborn Audrey fast asleep in her bassinette. Beside that picture is another professional photo with three-year old Noah in Dean's lap and six-month old Audrey in Carmen's. Then a photo of Audrey's first birthday. And one of both kids as they sat in a red wagon, smiling widely.

When Dean reached the bottom of the stairs, he realized he had entered the dining room. It was comfortably decorated with a rectangular table that had three regular chairs and a high chair around it. Before Dean has a chance to explore further, a vibration in his pocket catches his attention. Pulling out a sleek cell phone, Dean almost gives a sigh of relief when he sees the caller's name.

Flipping open the phone, Dean answers the call: "Sam?"

* * *

Sam jerks awake, and is instantly aware of the pain in the muscles of his neck and back. He isn't sure what awoke him; but at first Sam thinks he had fallen asleep researching a hunt as the pile of books and his laptop seem to indicate. But looking around the room, Sam realizes that he is not in a hotel, or at Bobby's, or even in a library. The room looks like an office of some type; but Sam can't place where he is.

But looking closer at the books in front of him, Sam eyes widen in confusion as he reads the title of one of them: Criminal Law and Procedure. Looking at the other books, Sam realizes that all of them are law books. And his laptop is open to a word program, and the document looks like a legal affidavit. Sam took a few minutes to read over the details of the drunk driver case the affidavit covered; it was then that Sam realized that it wasn't finished.

Glancing up from the organized clutter on the desk, a framed photo catches Sam's eye. In the photograph, is Jess and himself; it's unclear to Sam as to when the photo was taken, as he doesn't remember it. But he and Jess are sitting on a couch together, Jess leaning up against him as he had his arm around her waist.

Suddenly Sam's brain was flooded with images and he could remember his life that he had with Jess. There was no fire, no yellow-eyed demon… He had gone onto Law school; and Jess had gotten her degree in education. He had proposed after getting accepted to Law school. They had married three days after he had graduated with honors. They had moved to Lawrence two year ago. Sam had taken a job as a Junior Associate for the District Attorney's office. Jess took a job teaching social sciences at Lawrence Central Junior High School.

Another photo caught Sam's attention: It was one of himself, Dean, his dad, and Adam? At least the kid in the picture looked like his younger brother. Judging by the looks of them, Sam concluded that Dean was about 17 when the picture was taken, meaning he was about 13, and Adam looked about 9. They were all wearing hiking clothes and had camping packs on. They all looked happy, normal; like what Sam thought civilians looked like. But the photo didn't make any sense, he and Dean didn't know Adam until he was 19, and then it was a ghoul pretending to be him; they had certainly never gone on what appeared to be a camping trip together and seemed to be a happy family.

Seeing a cell phone lying beside his computer, Sam picked it up and began scrolling down the contact list. Ignoring the odd people and numbers in his phone, he finally found Dean's number, which was unfamiliar. He hit the "send" button and counted the rings on the phone until the phone clicked on…


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: I've decided to continue on in-spite of lack of reviews. So please review as it will bring longer chapters and make me very happy ;) **_

_**I know it's short, but it felt like a good place to end the chapter.**_

* * *

"_Sam?"_ Sam breathed a sigh of relief when he heard his big brother's voice.

"Dean?" Sam's voice is uncertain as he is not even sure if this is _**his**_Dean. What ever happened to him, it could have put him in an alternate universe and this Dean have no idea about the Supernatural. Deciding on an innocuous question is the best way to gauge what Dean knows, Sam asks: "What's going on?"

"_I don't know; I don't know where I am." _ Dean sounds just as lost and confused he is, and Sam is almost convinced that this is _**his **_Dean. But despite that fact, Sam still asks:

"What's the last thing you remember?"

"_Destroying Crowley. Then being in a white room…"_

"…Then that guy showing up." Sam said as the memory came back to him.

"_Yeah." _Dean sounded relieved that he was his Sammy. _"That dude must have zapped us somewhere. The question is why, and how do we get out of here."_

"He said something about our reward. Do you think this is what he meant?"

"_I don't know, Sam. I don't know how this is supposed to be our reward. Do you know where you are?"_

"I'm not sure. But I get the feeling that I'm in Lawrence." Sam says.

"_Lawrence?" _

"Yeah." Seeing some mail laying on the desk, Sam picks one of the envelopes up and notices that it is addressed to him and the mailing address. "Apparently I live on Ohio St."

There's a silence on the other end, before Dean says "I live on Barker."

"How is all this possible, Dean?"

Instead of answering the question, Dean says: _"I gotta go, Sam. I think I woke somebody up."_ Before Sam could say anything, Dean had hung up.

"Sam?" A voice painfully familiar, and one that Sam has longed to hear for almost eight years, comes from behind him. Sam just barely manages to contain his startle reaction to the unexpected voice. Turning around, Sam takes in a sight he thought he would never see again: Standing in the doorway is Jess; looking very much like Sam remembers her. She is wearing light pink nightgown and a white robe; the ties are left undone, allowing the robe to hang open.

"Baby, it's after midnight; what are you still doing up?" As she moves into the room the robe opens more and Sam's eyes caught an anomaly in Jess's silhouette. There is a bump in the outline of Jess's stomach…. a baby bump.

Sam is so struck by the sight of Jess, alive and well, and apparently pregnant with his child; that he can't even think of a response. Fortunately Jess gives him one with her next question.

"Still working on your case?"

"Yeah. I still have a bit left to do before its right." Sam says, deciding to play his part for right now; at least until he figures this situation out.

"Sam, I know this case brings up bad memories for you; but you can't keep losing sleep over it." Jess says, concern clearly evident on her face.

"I know." Sam replied, even though he is trying hard to figure out what bad memories Jess is talking about. Maybe that's how he and Dean lost their family in this reality; a drunk driver. Maybe his parents had died as a result of a car accident, and Dean had finished raising him and Adam on his own until they had come of age.

Sam is pulled from his thoughts by Jess's next question: "How's Dean? I heard you talking just before I came in. I figured you were probably on the phone with him."

"You know me so well." Sam said, he had missed the playful banter between him and Jess.

"Sam, you've called Dean every night since you got the Perry case."

"I guess it helps to talk it out with him." Sam says, still playing his part and hoping Jess won't call him out on it. But Jess just nods in understanding; letting the subject drop. Maybe in this reality he and Dean are as close as what they are back home. Perhaps that's why Jess doesn't press further; knowing that whatever was supposed to have set him off, Dean is always able to talk him down.

Suddenly, Jess grabs Sam's hand and placed it on her stomach. "Wait for it."

Sam feels a tiny flutter of movement that slowly gets stronger before it becomes a distinguishable kick. A strong kick at that. And in spite of everything, Sam feels a grin spread over his face.

"The baby's got quite a kick tonight." Jess says with a radiant smile. "Must mean that he or she will grow up to be a soccer star, just like Daddy."

Sam pulls Jess in for a kiss, and at that moment decides to forget about figuring out what has happened to him and his brother. Even if this is a curse, Sam is going to take full advantage of it. He's longed for a moment like this for far too long to let it slip away from him.


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N: I've decided to continue on in-spite of lack of reviews. So please review as it will bring longer chapters and make me very happy ;) . **_

* * *

A noise behind him draws Dean's attention to the stairs. It sounds like someone is coming down the stairs.

"I gotta go, Sam. I think I woke somebody up." With that, Dean closes the cell phone; ending the call.

"Honey, is something wrong?" Asks a feminine voice from behind. Dean turns to see Carmen standing on the bottom step of the stairs.

"No. Just Sam calling." Dean said as a way of explanation for the reason he's up late. He wonders for a moment if Carmen is like Lisa, and will make a comment of the fact that it is almost one a.m. and he is up, talking on the phone with his younger brother; instead of being in bed with her. But Carmen surprised him by just giving a nod.

"Sam working on his case tonight?" Carmen asked, with a knowing tone, as if these calls in the middle of the night are a normal occurrence.

"Yeah, he just needed some help." Dean answers even though he has no clue what Carmen is talking about. Did they still hunt? Or worse was Sam hunting alone?

"I know this case is important to Sam, but if he doesn't start taking better care of…" Before Carmen can finish her sentence a rapid beeping noise comes from the kitchen.

_"Lawrence Fire Department, respond in reference to a structure fire at 102 east 22nd street. Requesting response from company number 2…"_

"You better go, Chief." Carmen stood on her toes for a second to give Dean a kiss. "Be safe." Carmen gives him a gentle shove towards two steps that lead down to another hallway. "Now go. They just called up your company."

"Dean!" Dean hears Carmen call his name and he turns just in time to see a set of keys thrown his direction; without thinking, he reaches up and catches them. "Don't forget your keys."

Dean numbly makes in way to the front door and outside on the front porch; his mind still reeling in what had just happened. Apparently, in this universe or whatever this is, he is a Firefighter. He had always wanted to be a firefighter when he was a kid, even before the fire. But the idea that he really is one is a little over whelming and Carmen had called him 'Chief'. Was he really a Fire Chief? Had that dude zapped him into a world where he is able to live out his dream: be a firefighter, have a wife, and kids? If so, could he find a way to get back to his own life, and more importantly, would he even want to?

Looking at the keys Carmen had thrown to him, Dean expected to find the Impala keys in his hands. But instead it is a set of Dodge keys. Looking toward the driveway, Dean sees a black and red Dodge Ram 3500 is backed into the driveway; silently waiting, ready for duty at a moment's notice. The City of Lawrence Fire Department emblem is on the door and light bars are installed on the roof.

Seeing the truck it's as if a switch is flipped on in Dean's brain, and he springs into action; his movements swift and confident, as if he had done them a million times. He quickly climbs into the truck and fires up the engine. Shifting the truck into drive, Dean's hand automatically reaches for the switch for the emergency equipment. Within moments he's driving down the street, the lights and sirens blaring as he goes.

* * *

Back inside the house, Carmen says a quick prayer for the safety of her husband and his crew.

But before Carmen can take her normal position next to the radio scanner, she hears the sound of Noah getting out of bed. Whenever Dean has to leave in the middle of the night, Noah and Audrey normally end up in the big bed with their mother. Deciding not to prolong the inevitable, Carmen goes back upstairs to check on the kids.

_**TBC**_

_**Authors note part**_** two:** I'm really stuggling with writer's block with this story. So please review with any suggestions you might have as to how this should continue.


	5. Chapter 5

**_Note: First, I want to thank Samgirl19 and loola for their reviews. Second, this chapter is dedicated to all the Firefighter's out there, as I believe that they don't get thanked enough. Third, I'm not a firefighter, so please forgive me if I made any mistakes on protocol._**

**_I used google maps to get the layout of Lawrence Kansas. _**

* * *

As Dean drove through the city, his hands seemed to act on their own accord. The streets that he passes mean nothing to him. When he reaches 19th street, he turns right. Dean then drives two blocks until he reaches Massachusetts Street. Turning right again, the fire house is just ahead on the right. Other vehicles are arriving as Dean parks in the Dairy Queen parking lot next door.

Before exiting the truck, Dean grabs an equipment bag from the back seat. Quickly, he runs into the fire house and joins the other firefighters suiting up. His body seems to know exactly what he needs to do, so Dean allows it to go through the motions on autopilot as he tries to process what's happening around him. Soon Dean finds himself in the front seat of a fire truck as it races through the streets of Lawrence.

Looking around at the other firefighters in the truck, the part of Dean's brain that has been creating the new memories goes into over drive. And Dean finds that he is very comfortable and familiar to the men in the truck; as his mind is supplying him with personal details about everyone on the crew.

The man driving the truck is named Mike, but they called him 'Rabbit' as the man knew the fastest way to every address that dispatch had ever given them. The man on the jumpseat behind Rabbit is named Jason, also known as Skittles, as he always keeps a bag of them in his locker. Next to Skittles is Bobby Ray, or Hillbilly, as he is originally from Alabama. Next to Hillbilly is Dusty or the village idiot as he likes to call himself as he is always doing something stupid to break up the tension; but while on the job, he is probably the best man to have on the team. Across from Skittles is Jose Jalapeno, one of two Mexicans on the crew. Jose's brother, Carlos, sits next to him and is known to the crew as 'roach' as he can always seem to make it out of the fire unscathed. At six foot eight, Jimmy is known as the gentle giant; easily able to be a pillar of strength or giant teddy bear to all in need.

As the truck approaches 22nd street, all the men in the truck could see the glow of the flames. When they arrived on scene, the crew immediately set to work, assessing the fire. It was a two story house, the fire probably started on either the first floor or perhaps a basement, if the house had one, as most of the first floor was a blaze. A two man team has been formed to run the hoses to the hydrant on the corner, others are prepping the ladders, and the rest are putting on fire masks and putting their hoods down.

Gut instinct told Dean to determine if the house was occupied when the fire started, and if so, was everybody out. Before Dean could make a move however he is approached by a young woman, wearing her pajamas, her face is streaked with soot and she has the distinct smell of smoke; indicating she was more than likely one of the occupants of the house when it caught fire.

"My daughter is missing! She's only five years old!"

"What's her name?"

"Molly. I thought she was with me as we left the house."

"We've going to get Molly out. I need you to try to stay calm and go over to the ambulance and let the medics check you out. OK?"

Dean got a nod before relinquishing the women to the care of the EMTs that had arrived on scene.

Turning to his crew, Dean gave an update of this new information. "Ok guys, we got one still inside. A kid, she's five years old."

"I'll go in, Chief." Jose volunteered. The young man is already grabbing tools off the truck in preparation of going inside the house. There is a moment where it seems that Carlos and Jimmy are about to volunteer to go as well; but Dean puts a stop to that plan with one of his own.

"Ok. I'm with you." Dean figured that he was probably breaking firefighter protocol by going in; but he didn't care. A child is in danger, and Dean isn't going to let anything happen to her without doing everything in his power to save her.

Jalapeno turns and gives a brief nod to signify that he's ready. They set out to look for a way into the house. The two man team manages to gain access to the house through a broken window. Together, they begin searching for the little girl. Finding the stairway, they decide to check upstairs. The faint sounds of wood cracking are heard and it brings a feeling of foreboding to the seasoned firefighters.

The upstairs is thick with smoke, but there are no visible fires yet. And to a frightened five-year old, smoke is better than flames. And a gut feeling told Dean to check the closets, as it was the most likely spot of a frightened child to hide. As luck would have it, Molly is hiding in the second closet they check. It took a bit of coaxing, but the little girl comes out of her hiding place and into Dean's waiting arms. They try to head back to the stairs, only to find that they are now engulfed in flames.

"Stairs are gone. We'll have to find our own way out." Dean reports in his radio. They return to the room where Molly had been hiding, which by Dean's calculations is at the front of the house.

Jalapeno uses his axe to break open the window. As the smoke bellows out of opening, the ladder truck becomes visible and the crew on the ground gets the ladder operational and guiding up to the window where Dean and Jalapeno are standing. "You go first. Take the girl. I think the house is about to go." Dean says.

Jalapeno climbs out the window first, and then turns to grab Molly as Dean lifts her out the window. Once Jalapeno has Molly in his arms he begins to climb down the ladder; wanting to get the little girl checked out by the medics as she has breathed in a lot of smoke; and becoming more and more lethargic in his arms.

Dean is about to climb out the window himself when he hears the ominous sound of wood cracking growing louder. Before Dean can make a move, the floor collapses out from under him. Dean hits the burning floor below hard and blinding pain shoots up one of his legs. His last thought as he loses consciousness is that he is back in Hell; not yet on the rack, but it will only be moments before the Demons begin to torture him again.

* * *

_"I shall call him Squishy and he shall be mine and he shall be my Squishy"_

The dialog of the kid's movie penetrated into Carmen's consciousness as she slowly wakes up. She hadn't meant to fall back asleep when she and the kids went to her and Dean's room. Normally, Carmen turns on the Disney channel or puts in a DVD and watches it with the kids until they fall asleep or Dean gets home. Dean's portable radio scanner is on the nightstand by his side of the bed; but she had forgotten to turn it on, so the room is quiet except for the sounds of "Finding Nemo".

Audrey is curled up like a kitten under her left arm; her beloved "Monk-Monk" sandwiched between them. Noah, the sprawler, is sprawled out half on her, half on Dean's side of the bed, and his feet are hanging over the edge. Sparky the fire dog is hanging precariously at the edge of the bed next to Dean's pillow.

Glancing at the clock, Carmen noticed that it was almost 3 am. She briefly wonders if Dean is back. It was not uncommon for Dean to come home and crash on the futon in the family room for the rest of the night; especially when the kids have gone back to sleep before he gets home.

Suddenly the phone beside the bed begins to ring. Over the years of being first a Marine wife then the wife of a firefighter has taught Carmen to worry when the phone rings and Dean's not home from the job. As Carmen moves to pick up the phone, Audrey makes a noise of discontent at the movement.

"Hello?"

"Is this Carmen Winchester?" an official sounding voice on the phone asked.

Carmen feels like she has a balloon in her chest that isn't allowing her to get any air into her lungs. Somehow she is able to answer the man. "Yes it is."

"Mrs. Winchester, this is Chaplin Murphy." At those words, Carmen thought her heart might have just stopped. It was the call that she and the other firefighter spouses fear the most: something had gone wrong on the job. "I was calling to inform you that your husband Dean was seriously injured during a call tonight. He is being transferred to Memorial Hospital as we speak."

"Is he going to be ok?"

"I'm not sure of his current condition. But it's imperative that that you come to the hospital as soon as possible."

"I'll be there." With that Carmen hangs up the phone. Untangling herself from Audrey and Noah, Carmen moves to the closet, grabs a pair of her jeans, and quickly puts them on. She then takes one of Dean's flannel shirts of its hanger and quickly slips it on, buttoning it up as she goes back to the bed.

"Noah, you gotta wake up. We gotta go to Grandma and Grandpa's. Come on, kiddo."

Noah wakes up just enough to get out of bed and follow Carmen while holding on to her pants leg; dragging Sparky along behind him. Carmen doesn't bother to wake up Audrey and simply picks her up. And although Audrey does grumble about being moved; once she is in her mother's arms, Audrey just clings tighter to her monkey and goes back to sleep.

Carmen stops briefly at Noah's room to get him some shoes since she can't carry him and Audrey at the same time. Carmen doesn't bother with grabbing anything else since the kids have essential supplies at nearly every family member's house.

Carmen manages to get the kids outside to her car and buckled into their car seats; surprisingly without incident. As she closes the back door to the car, Carmen takes her cell phone out quickly dials the phone as she gets into the car.

"Hello?" Came the sleepy voice of a man on the other end of the call.

"It's Carmen. We've got a code red, and I'm on my way to your house with the kids."

"How bad is it?" Came the concerned response.

"I'm not sure yet. Dean was taken to the hospital; so I'm going there after I stop at your house."

"Alright, we'll be ready. Just be careful."

"I will." Carmen said. "I'll see you in 5." With that Carmen hangs up and focuses on getting to her destination as quick as possible.


	6. Chapter 6

Sam lay in bed with Jess snuggled to his side dozing in a blissed out sleep. The kiss in the office had led to more as Sam wanted to make up for his lost time; leading them to their bedroom and an intense love making session. It was as if they were together just yesterday, as Jess had responded to him exactly how he had remembered.

Sam is about to give into sleep, when the phone beside the bed begins to ring. Jess rolls over and grabs the phone, while mumbling about who would be calling at three thirty in the morning.

"Hello?" Jess answers the phone. She pauses for a minute as she listens to the person on the other end; before asking: "Is it bad?"

Again another pause and Sam is about to ask what's going on, when Jess says: "We'll be there soon." With that she hangs up the phone and turns towards Sam.

"We gotta go. Dean's been hurt." Jess says before getting herself out of bed and going to the closet.

"What happened? Is he Ok?" Sam asks, a sick feeling settling in his gut. As he is worried something really bad had happened to his brother.

"He responded to call after you hung up, and a job went bad." Jess said as she put some clothes on, before tossing a shirt and jeans to Sam; which he hurriedly puts on. When Sam finishes putting on his shirt, Jess hands him a pair of shoes; which he quickly put on.

The couple leaves the room, and goes downstairs to garage. Inside the garage is a new model Chevy Impala. Sam almost has to laugh that in this other world, he would own an Impala. Jess gets in the driver's seat; which Sam guesses is a good thing since he has no idea how to get to the hospital. Sam quickly gets into the passenger side and fastens his seatbelt. It felt weird riding in a modern car after having spent his entire life in the '67 Impala.

As they drive through the city, Sam makes note of the route. As they drive, several memories formed in Sam's brain of a life that he never had; but could have had if he had lived a normal life. They pass the grocery store where he had gotten his first after school job stocking shelves and bagging groceries. He had hated the job, but it gave him his own money. They also drive past the pizza place where he and his friends use to go for lunch in high school. And the convenience store where he, and his brothers, would stop to get snacks and coffee on the way to school.

They quickly make it to the hospital, and after parking the car Sam and Jess head towards the emergency room doors. As they entered the Emergency Room waiting area, Sam caught sight of a scene that nearly made him choke on air.

Sitting on one of the couches is John Winchester looking very much like Sam remembered. Sitting beside John is a very attractive brunette. John has his arm around the woman's shoulders and is rubbing his hand up and down the woman's arm in a comforting gesture. A tiny girl no older than two is crashed in the woman's arms, clutching a stuffed monkey in her sleep. As they approached the couch, the subtle differences in John stand out like a beacon to Sam. It is then that Sam realizes that this John isn't the hardened hunter that Sam remembered. He seemed almost normal, like a civilian; like the memories that Dean had shared with him on very rare occasions.

The scene before him sends a flood of images through Sam's brain. He can suddenly remember portions of a life that wasn't his own.

The woman sitting beside his Dad is very familiar to him. She had been like part of the family since they were kids. Carmen is Dean's age and the two had been close since they were children. John and Carmen's father, Larry, were Marine buddies; and reconnected after the Porter family had moved to Lawrence. Carmen's younger sister Lindsey is his own age. Lindsey and Sam had developed a friendship as children, had even gone on a couple dates as young teens; but they were never as close as their older siblings. Carmen has a second younger sister: Jennifer that is two years younger than him and Lindsey.

It was then that Sam realized that the brunette is Dean's wife, and the little girl on her lap is Dean's kid. The little girl has dark hair like her mother, and from what Sam can see of the little girl's face, it is obvious she resembles her mother in looks as well.

But before Sam has a chance to say anything to Carmen and his Dad, a doctor appears from the emergency room door.

"Family of Dean Winchester?" The doctor asks gaining the attention of the small group in the waiting room. The air seemed to still as they prepare to hear what the doctor has to say.


	7. Chapter 7

Awareness came back to him in blurs. Sounds smudged together, his vision was a fog of colors and light. He had a vague awareness of the sounds of sirens; but instead of making him want to bolt like the sound usually did; it seemed to provide a strange comfort to him. Dean also knew the familiar rocking of a vehicle as it sped through a city.

When Dean opens his eyes, he looked up into the face of a paramedic, who Dean felt he should know, but the name eluded him.

"Hey Chief," The face above him said; "you hanging in there? We're almost to the hospital." But even as the paramedic said this, Dean's vision began to cloud at the edges at an alarming rate and a buzzing noise was making itself known in his ears. Dean knew he would soon be losing the battle for consciousness; but he tried to fight it as much as he could.

"Hey Chief, stay with me." That was the last thing Dean heard before he slipped back into the unconscious oblivion.

There his mind seemed to drift to more memories of the life he found himself in. He saw Birthdays, Christmases, and other holidays. Each one reminiscent of the ones his family had before the fire. With each new memory it was harder to distinguish from his life and this one.

A few of the memories had were so vivid and clear that, Dean sworn he had actually lived them.

_Dean stood in line with the other members of his senior class, waiting for his turn to cross the stage and get his diploma. As the graduates cross the stage; Mr. Bennett, the assistant principle, reads a card that each of the students filled out that stated what their future plans are. _

_He let his attention wander for a moment as he tries to adjust the tassel on his graduation cap. Looking out to the crowd, Dean caught sight of his family sitting in their seats. His parents are beaming with pride, much like all the other parents in the gymnasium. His younger brothers are sitting next to his dad, trying to look supportive, but mostly looking bored. _

_Soon it is Dean's turn to get his diploma. _

_"Dean Michael Winchester. Graduating with honors, Dean plans to join the Marine Corps." That decision had taken close to two months to convince his parents of. Not that he really had to convince his Dad, it was just that they had really wanted Dean to go to college. Dean had decided not to go not because of lack of offers, quite the contrary, as he had five colleges that had been vying for his attendance since his junior year. _

_After leaving the stage, Dean caught sight of Carmen; who had already gotten her diploma. Since Carmen has the aisle seat, it is easy for Dean to grab her as he walks past. Dean pulls her into the aisle and kisses her hard. The senior class bursts into applause as Dean and Carmen had been voted "most popular couple". _

He saw his wedding day to Carmen. They had married in the chapel on the base where he had been stationed while in the Marine Corps. That day was both a blur and perfectly clear to him at the same time as he had so many emotions running through him. It seems like he only had eyes for Carmen that day.

_I, Dean Michael Winchester, take you, Carmen Elizabeth Porter, to be my wedded wife. To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness or in health, to love and to cherish 'till death do us part. And with this ring, I thee wed." As Dean said his vows he slid a slim white gold band onto Carmen's finger._

_I, Carmen Elizabeth Porter, take you, Dean Michael Winchester, to be my wedded husband. To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness or in health, to love and to cherish 'till death do us part. And with this ring, I thee wed." Carmen says as she slides the ring onto his finger. _

Dean also saw the births of his children. Noah's birth had been almost a text book delivery in the hospital. But Audrey's birth had been at their home since Carmen had progressed so fast and there had been no time to get to the hospital. Using his firefighter and Carmen's nursing and midwife training to delivery Audrey. Audrey had fortunately been healthy and Carmen had no complications in the delivery; as the paramedics had arrived shortly after Audrey's birth to take them to the hospital for mother and baby to be checked out.

* * *

Dean regained consciousness again when the ambulance arrived at the hospital. He could barely make out the doctors talking about his injuries. There was talk about his right knee and the possibility of cracked ribs and smoke inhalation. As the stretcher he was on was rolled into an exam room, Dean blacked out again.

TBC

* * *

**A/N: I'm still working on this story but still battling writer's block. So please review and give your suggestions to the story as it does spur me to write more**


	8. Chapter 8

_"Family of Dean Winchester?" The doctor asks gaining the attention of the small group in the waiting room. The air seemed to still as they prepare to hear what the doctor has to say._

The doctor didn't seem to have to look hard before his eyes were trained on the small group in the waiting room, and began to make his way towards them. Sam and Jess took a seat on the adjacent couch across from the one Carmen and John is sitting on. The doctor comes over and takes a seat on a chair that is near the end of the two couches.

"First of all, Dean is going to be fine. He's considerably luck considering the reports from the Paramedics on what happened. The second floor of the house he was doing a rescue in collapsed from underneath him. Fortunately Dean's protective equipment did its job; as he didn't receive any burns. Dean did; however, tear some cartilage in his right knee, which will need surgery to repair. Dean also cracked three of his lower ribs. He is also showing signs of a possible concussion that we need to monitor closely. But what our biggest concern at the moment is the smoke inhalation. Right now we've started oxygen therapy to replace his oxygen levels."

With that explanation, Carmen gives a knowing nod. "Can I see him?"

"Only for a few minutes; and one at a time for the now, as he is only semi-conscious right now. And the little girl can't go back in the emergency room." The doctor explains; indicating the little girl on Carmen's lap. Halfway through the Doctor's explanation of Dean's injuries, Audrey had woken up and is now sitting up on Carmen's lap. But instead of letting go of her monkey, Audrey seems to clutch in closer. Once again Carmen just gives a knowing nod.

"I thought Winchester protocol was for the kids to stay with someone instead of coming to the hospital?" Jess asks the question that had been in her mind since seeing Audrey with Carmen.

"It is. But this little monkey decided that she wanted to be clingy tonight. And she has Dean's stubbornness. I didn't want to leave her throwing a fit." Carmen explained, as she rubbed a hand up and down Audrey's back.

"Audrey, you want to stay with Uncle Sam and me? I think we can find a book to read." Jess asked; knowing the 18 month old doesn't often reject the offer of a book. Audrey looked to her mother for a moment as if to ask permission; before reaching her tiny arms to Jess to be picked up. Jess obliged the toddler and gracefully picks her up and holds Audrey on her hip. Audrey never letting go of her monkey during the transfer. Once Audrey is in Jess's arms Carmen stands up from the couch and subconsciously adjusts the flannel shirt that she is wearing, that Sam amazingly recognizes as one of Dean's favorite.

"I better call Mary and let her know how Dean is." John says as he gets up as well.

The realization that comes with his Dad's comment hits Sam like a speeding semi: His mother is still alive; they had never gone on a quest for a demon. In fact the only hunting that was done by the Winchesters was the occasional Deer and small game hunting trips his Dad took with Larry Porter and a few others.

Suddenly images of the life he could have had hit his brain so hard it was all Sam could do to keep from blacking out:

He saw flashes of holidays and birthdays that were so normal that Sam knew were not memories of his own. For the first time, Sam could remember what it was like to have a mom. His Mom would never get a store bought cake for his birthday; always insisting on making him a double chocolate cake for every birthday from the age of one to his eighteenth. Every sporting event and school function she was there; as was his Dad, cheering on their son and his accomplishments; as they had also done for his brothers.

Sam could remember growing up with his brothers, not just Dean, but Adam as well. He was four years old when his mom had Adam. He had grown up as the middle brother. Dean's little brother, Adam's big brother: the only brother with the dual role. For reasons Sam was unsure of, the thought of his younger brother had sent a feeling of unease through him. Before he could finish the thought however, the sound of Jess's voice drew Sam out of the memories.

Shaking his head to clear the images from his brain, Sam focused his attention on Jess and Audrey. He had always known Jess was good with kids as she had often talked about some of her babysitting jobs and of looking after her many younger cousins when she was a kid. Sam had experienced a normal childhood vicariously by listening to Jess talk about hers. But it was still a little surprising to see Jess perfectly at ease with Audrey snuggled on her lap as they worked their way through a copy of Dr. Seuss's _Green Eggs and Ham _which looked like it had survived World War II.

While watching Jess and Audrey, Sam realizes that Jess wasn't just reading the book; but she had turned the book into a spot the picture game that the toddler was enjoying immensely. And while Audrey does strongly resemble her mother; as Sam watched her with Jess, several of Audrey's expressions just screamed Dean. Looking at the little girl, it was weird to Sam that his older brother is a Dad in this reality. Sam had known that Dean had liked kids and had secretly wanted to be a dad; but the realization that not only does Dean have kids, but seems to be married to the children's mother is a hard fact to wrap his mind around.

As Jess is reading the book the baby must have kicked because Audrey shifted away from Jess's abdomen abruptly and looking to the baby bump with confusion. And the expression was so much pure Dean, that Sam couldn't help the laugh that escaped him.

"Did your cousin kick you, Audrey?" Jess asks, trying to hold back a laugh herself.

And then, there is the fact that in this reality, he is about to become a dad. That thought alone sent Sam's mind into a tailspin. Sam hadn't had much experience with kids in his old life; could he even handle it if he and Dean couldn't find their way back home.

* * *

When Dean came to again, the first thing he became aware of was the fact that someone was holding his hand. The hand was small and delicate and obviously female. That fact confuses him for a moment as he can't think of who the caring female could be.

The task of opening his eyes feels like trying to bench press a bulldozer. When he does manage to open his eyes, there is a blurry figure above him. So Dean concentrates on trying to bring the face into focus. When the face comes into focus, Dean is mildly surprised that it's Carmen.

Once Dean regains more awareness, he notices that something is on his face. Lifting his hand, Dean wanted to brush it away. But before he could do so, Carmen used her other hand to grab his wrist in a gentle, but firm grip.

"Leave the mask on, Dean. You need it to help you breathe." Carmen's voice, like her grip, was gentle but firm; but softened as they locked eyes. "Just rest. You're going to be ok, just relax."

Carmen suddenly leaned closer to him and to his surprise; she kissed his forehead, leaving her lips on him for a good few seconds. Adding to Dean's surprise, she gently ran her fingers through his hair while she gave him a sweet smile.

The way she smiles at him; the way his heart gets a funny beat and a flutter in his stomach when he looks at her. Dean had never experienced feelings like this in his old life; but he could identify the feelings easy enough. He, Dean Winchester: single ladies' man extraordinaire; is head over heels in love.

**TBC**

**A/N: sorry about the long wait. It took forever for this chapter to be written; mostly I'm still battling writer's block on this. So reviews and suggestions are greatly appreciated. **


	9. Chapter 9

**NOTE: sorry for the long delay. Real life has be chaos lately as I just moved and got married. Please review and let me know your still interested in this story. **

The early morning sunlight awoke Dean the next morning. His right leg is elevated and his knee feels swollen up like a balloon. His chest feels like it's on fire and his head is pounding like the worse hangover and concussion he had ever had. For several moments, Dean has no idea where he is; then the memory of the night before comes rushing back to him.

Looking around the room, Dean takes in the standard hospital room; he notes that the chair next to the bed is empty. Last night, Carmen had stayed with him; even when the doctors had tried to kick her out. Dean had to laugh as his wife had dug in her heels. Carmen had given the doctor the "look of Death"; and the doctor had instantly backed down. Carmen had even stayed with him when they moved him to a regular room.

Every time he had woken up during the night, Carmen had been there. So it is a bit surprising that she isn't there. For a moment, Dean wonders if the whole thing had been a dream. He would admit it to no one, but he still dreamed about the Djinn fantasy world. Maybe he had dreamed the events of last night, his mind creating a continuing the fantasy to include a family of his own.

He knew it was crazy, but after a year had passed since he had found his way out from the Genie Acid trip; he had discovered that he had begun comparing all the women he had been with to Carmen; dreaming of his mother's BLT sandwiches. Many times he has wanted to feel his mother's arms around him when the weight of the world became too much. He longed to see the same look of happiness that Sam had when he had shown the engagement ring on Jess's finger.

But the phone conversation with Sam had pretty much destroyed that explanation, as Dean doesn't think his mind could pull Sam into his fantasies. Suddenly the other events of last night came to his mind. The ritual to end the threat of Evil for good; then strange man who claimed to be giving him and Sam their rewards. Could this life be what the man meant? And just who was the man? Any man powerful enough to do this; couldn't be any good. He and Sam needed to find out what this is, and how to break the spell and get back to the real world.

Suddenly a sound from the bathroom caught his attention, and Dean instantly goes on alert. The door opened, and to Dean's relief, Sam emerged from the bathroom.

Before Sam has a chance to say anything, Dean jumps on the chance to ask: "Sam, did you find out anything about what happened to us?"

Sam shakes his head as he sits down in the chair that Carmen had occupied all night. "Not a single clue. All I've been able to find is just the normal lore and even that is incomplete. It seems as though there is no such thing as hunters, or anything that even shows that the apocalypse even happened. I even tried checking into some of our old cases: and if they happened at all, it was due to natural causes and not even as bad as what it really was."

"So this really is a different world?" Dean says as he let his head collapse back into the pillow.

Even though Sam is sure that Dean meant it as a rhetorical question; he answers anyways. "Yeah. So how are you feeling?"

"Like a floor collapsed from underneath me in a burning house." Dean answers sarcastically.

"You in a lot of pain?" Sam asked not expecting the answer that Dean will give.

"Some. I've had worse though." Dean admitted.

"They have you on a morphine drip." Sam says as he puts the button for the medicine drip in Dean's hand. Dean pressed the button; and after a few moments Sam sees the tension drain from Dean's body. "Feel better?"

"Definitely. They got me on the good stuff." Dean replies.

"So what all have you figured out about our lives here?" Dean asks, partially so he could play his part until they can figure a way out of here, and second he is genuinely interested to see what crazy world was made up for them.

"Well, first of all: You're married." Sam said wondering how Dean will react to that; he is shocked to see Dean just nod. "You have two kids: a son, Noah; and a daughter: Audrey. You and your wife, Carmen seems to have been together for a while. Jess is alive, and we're married." Sam pauses and nervously runs his fingers through his hair that is when Dean notices the ring on his brother's left hand.

"Go on." Dean urges when Sam doesn't continue. "You guys have any kids?"

"Jess is pregnant." Sam admits quietly.

"Way to go Sammy." Dean says, the smirk that he always gets when he talks about women firmly in place. "Anything else?"

"Mom and Dad are alive." Sam states. Bracing himself for Dean's reaction; Sam is surprised when Dean doesn't give one right away. Sam looks at his brother with concern, he notices Dean seems to have gone into shock for a moment. Finally Dean asks: "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, Dad was here last night with us in the waiting room. When we were able to see you, you were unconscious. And Mom was at home with Noah. Carmen insisted on staying here last night; so Jess and I had Audrey last night."

"Where's Carmen?"

"I sent Carmen with the kids to get some breakfast. Your wife is nearly as stubborn as you are. I didn't think that was humanly possible." Sam jokingly says.

At that moment Carmen enters the room, Audrey on her hip and Noah carefully carrying a cup holder with two coffee cups. "See guys, Daddy's awake. Good thing too, since we brought him and Uncle Sam breakfast." Carmen says as she adjusts Audrey on her hip. "Noah, take the cups to Uncle Sam."

Noah does what his mother says; and Sam takes the cup holder from Noah and sets it on the table over the bed. Carmen sets a plastic bag she's carrying also on the table. Inside is a few take out containers.

"I got the egg platters from the dinner down the street. I hope that's ok?" Carmen said as she put Audrey down.

"If it's better than hospital food; I'll take it." Dean said; his infamous appetite making an appearance.

"Way better. The staff always goes there for meals when we get a chance. Although the flat bread pizza in the cafeteria is really good." Carmen said as she got the food containers out of the bag.

They enjoyed a peaceful breakfast. Dean and Sam were surprised at how easy the conversations with Carmen had been. It was if their brains was trying to merge into the lives that they found themselves in.

TBC


End file.
